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How To Become an Actor, Actor Interviews, Actor NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:44:05 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Interviews with Actors, Directors, Casting Directors, Screenwriters and more! Visit www.DailyActor.comLance CarternoHow To Become an Actor, Actor Interviews, Actor NewsDaily Actorhttp://www.dailyactor.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/DailyActorItunes.jpghttp://www.dailyactor.com
Helen Mirren on Reprising her Role as Elizabeth II in ‘The Audience': “I was determined not to do it”http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/03/helen-mirren-reprising-her-role-as-elizabeth-ii-in-the-audience/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/03/helen-mirren-reprising-her-role-as-elizabeth-ii-in-the-audience/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 21:34:31 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69527"When I took my bow at the end, they were not applauding me. They were applauding the queen." - Helen Mirren

“When I took my bow at the end, they were not applauding me. They were applauding the queen.” – Helen Mirren

One would that Helen Mirren would’ve welcomed the opportunity to play Queen Elizabeth II again after she won an Oscar for playing her in the 2006 film The Queen, which was written by Peter Morgan. While she did reprise the role in the historical play The Audience on the West End in 2013 — for which she was awarded her first Olivier Award — as it turns out she didn’t initially want to do it. In an interview with the New York Times on the eve of The Audience starting preview performances on Broadway, Mirren explains why she was hesitant to do the play in the first place, how it differs from her Oscar-winning portrayal, and why she wishes Queen Elizabeth came to see her in the play when it was in London.

Mirren reveals that she was unhappy when she found out Morgan wanted her to star as Her Majesty in his new play. She explains, “It was a terrible day for me. And when I read the play, my heart stopped: I was onstage for two hours.”

The acclaimed actress admits that she was concerned that her stage performance would be unfavorably compared to the Oscar-winning film. She says, “I was determined not to do it. The film was so successful. But by this point, I was trying to wriggle out of that role. I went to a read-through convinced that at the end I’d say no because it’s just not right for me. Not now or at any time.“

However, Mirren changed her mind once she met the behind-the-scenes talent that would be involved in the production. She recalls, “I walked into the rehearsal room. There was the great designer Bob Crowley; there was Stephen Daldry, one of the great theater directors; there was Robert Fox, the producer; and there was Peter Morgan. And I looked at that team, and I said: ‘Don’t be an idiot. You can’t walk away from this.’ A team like this doesn’t happen often.”

Unlike The Queen, which revealed a more personal side of Elizabeth, The Audience offers glimpses of Elizabeth’s weekly meetings with the prime ministers of England throughout her long reign. She explains, “The play is not like the movie in the sense that you’re not going behind the velvet curtain to see the emotional woman. She’s in formal mode throughout.”

Mirren admits that she wishes Elizabeth would have come to see the play when it was originally produced on the West End. She says, “I wish the queen had come to see the play, but it would have been impossible. She doesn’t go to the theater anyway.” After all, Mirren believes that at the end of the play it isn’t she who is getting the cheers. She points out, “When I took my bow at the end, they were not applauding me. They were applauding the queen.“

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/03/helen-mirren-reprising-her-role-as-elizabeth-ii-in-the-audience/feed/0Christian Bale on Not Having a Script for ‘Knight of Cups': “I never had any lines to learn”http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/03/christian-bale-on-not-having-a-script-for-knight-of-cups-i-never-had-any-lines-to-learn/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/03/christian-bale-on-not-having-a-script-for-knight-of-cups-i-never-had-any-lines-to-learn/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 21:19:27 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69523"I never knew what I was going to be doing each day" - Christian Bale on working with Terrence Malick in 'Knights of Cups'

“I never knew what I was going to be doing each day” – Christian Bale on working with Terrence Malick in ‘Knights of Cups’

Though it’s become increasingly more common for films to be shot with large amounts of improv, that’s mostly typical of comedy films with trained improv comedic actors. It is rare for a dramatic film to shoot with little-or-no script. Of course, the enigmatic filmmaker Terrence Malick is a master of the uncommon, and his latest film, Knight of Cups, is in some ways more akin to an acting exercise than a film. In the press conference for the film at the Berlin Film Festival, star Christian Bale spoke about the unusual circumstances in which the film was shot.

As typical of Malick, the production of the film was shrouded in secrecy. Bale reveals, “He didn’t tell us what [the film] was about. He really just gave me the character description. We worked on the character a great deal, worked on his backstory.”

The secrecy extended to the script, which was even hidden from Bale. He explains, “I never had any lines to learn, but I’d see other people, and they’d have pages. I’d always look over their shoulders to see what it was that I was going to be told. I never knew what I was going to be doing each day.”

In fact, the entire production seemed to be designed by Malick to throw challenges at its core cast. “He liked to call it ‘torpedoing’ us, with different actors and nonactors, to get a very real response.”

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/03/christian-bale-on-not-having-a-script-for-knight-of-cups-i-never-had-any-lines-to-learn/feed/0Will Forte and Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller Talk ‘The Last Man On Earth’http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/the-last-man-on-earth-will-forte-phil-lord-chris-miller-interview/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/the-last-man-on-earth-will-forte-phil-lord-chris-miller-interview/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 21:57:17 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69686“This is a chance to play a character that’s a little closer to who I am in real life and be a real person” – Will Forte

“This is a chance to play a character that’s a little closer to who I am in real life and be a real person” – Will Forte

Will Forte stars as the last man on Earth in FOX’s… The Last Man On Earth. The show is about an average guy named Phil (Forte) who discovers what life is like when no one is telling you what you can and cannot do. He’s traveled to every city and every town in the United States, Mexico and Canada and has found no one. As he returns to his hometown of Tucson, Phil comes to the realization that he is almost certainly the last living being on the face of the earth.

I’m really looking forward to this. Forte, who is one of my favorite Saturday Night Live alumni, created the show alongside the incredibly hot directing duo, Chris Miller and Phil Lord (the new 21 Jump Street films and The Lego Movie) so it’s sure to be both unique and incredibly funny.

The trio had a conference call earlier this week to chat about the show and where they got the concept, what they would do if they were the last people on earth, network TV and more!

The Last Man On Earth premieres Sunday, March 1st at 9pm on FOX.

How is it for you guys to be promoting and discussing this product that you’ve all been working on for so long and being very limited in what it is you’re able to say until the public gets a chance to check it out on Sunday night?

Will Forte: It’s definitely tricky. It’s been tricky because we want to find that right blend of explanation and description of the show, but we also want to save some of the fun surprises. And I guess, unfortunately, we’re not going to know until after Sunday if we’ve struck the right balance. I feel there are so many discussions. I know that I am more on the side of keeping the secrets. But then again, I’ve really never been in anything that people have gone to go see, so I’m not a marketing genius by any stretch.

Phil Lord: The trick for us is we want to protect the audience’s experience of watching the show. And part of it is getting to enjoy all of the delicious surprises. You guys have seen a couple of them but there’s a lot more to come, and it’s just one of the joys of Will’s writing.

We feel like our job, and the marketing team has done a great job of saying, “Hey, kids, there’s a present under the tree.” But we still give everybody the opportunity to go under the tree and unwrap it instead of “Hey, Santa got you something, and by the way, Santa doesn’t exist and it’s a go-bot.” There’s no fun in that. I’m really happy that people have gone along with the ride, and all the press we’ve talked to, and Fox and stuff has been really on board with just trying to tease this out and sell the idea that there’s a lot of great surprises on the way.

The one thing that’s challenging is seeing people say, “Oh well, there’s no way that concept can last for an entire season.” And then we’re sitting back here going, “You don’t know. There’s so much more to it than you know,” and not being able to say that. Hopefully we can get the message across that there’s a lot more to come and we just don’t want to spoil it for anyone.

Will Forte: Yes, and pretty much every episode ends with a twist, or a cliffhanger, or a new development, so it’s pretty fun.

How did you come up with the concept?

Chris Miller: Well, it was a team effort. Phil and Will and I hung out for several days. We wanted to make a TV show together, and we’ve been friends for many years.

Phil Lord: We came to Will as a writer first, we said, “Look, I obviously would love for you to be in this.” But we met Will when he was a writer and that’s how he was paying his rent, and we just had so much respect for him and his voice and we just wanted to figure out the best vessel to get that on to television.

Chris Miller: And one of the ideas that we tossed around was this idea of something that sort of takes place in a post-apocalyptic state, and all the questions that that brings up. It was something that Will sparked to immediately, and then basically went home and over a weekend wrote a treatment for an entire season, and it was amazing. So, it was just something that he was really inspired by, and we were just excited to help support his vision.

Will Forte: Yes, we knew that it was the right thing for us to work on, because once we settled on this concept it just jumped out at us. It was almost hard to stop typing, because it just was really like we had talked about, so many different areas and we’re trying to figure out how to turn it into a show, and then this just leapt out at us and it immediately felt like the right thing to do.

If you guys were suddenly the last person what would be the first thing you would run to do, because you could do anything?

Will Forte: A lot of the things that I would do are things that I actually do in the pilot in the first couple of episodes, a lot of wish fulfillment stuff. It doesn’t take much to make me happy, so if you give me a steamroller and some breakables I’m pretty good, or a flame thrower.

But another thing that I think would be at the top of the list would be going and finding all the classified information that’s out there in Washington, D.C. and just figure out what really is happening with all these conspiracy theories. I love that stuff.

Phil Lord: Chris, I was just sitting here going how do I not have a stock answer prepared for this question?

Chris Miller: I like Will’s answer, go to Area 51 or something, and see if there’s actually aliens there.

Phil Lord: I honestly would be thrilled to just figure out how to make a fire and get back to basics. I’d kind of want to just, I don’t know, see what it’s like to live in ignorance for a little while. I promise to come up with a better answer.

Coming back to television so long after Clone High and doing a live action series, what’s it like?

Chris Miller: It’s been great. This cast is phenomenal. The show itself is so original and funny, and it’s been a real joy for us to work on something that is just good right out of the gate. And it’s been a really good way to get back into television, I’ve got to say.

Phil Lord: Yes, and we told this to folks on set and it’s well reported, it really is one of the most enjoyable professional experiences we’ve ever had, probably the most fun shooting on a set we’ve ever had. It all comes down to just having great collaborators and Will giving us such original material to start with, and being such a great creative partner on set. I’d say it couldn’t possibly be better.

Certainly we would spent a lot of time writing on sitcoms and wound up on How I Met Your Mother, it was the last thing we did before we went off to make Cloudy, and we felt insane because it was the first show we’d ever worked on that went past 13 episodes. And the minute they hit Episode 17 we were like, “Alright, we’re leaving. We’re going to go try to make movies.” We left behind what would have been a very pleasant and comfortable life, and so it’s really nice to come back and work in television again and have it be just as satisfying as that experience.

As you’ve developed the show and as you guys have even figured out where you want to place him, what can we look forward to into how he’s going to grow and really what the point of his journey is for you guys as you’ve been crafting it?

Will Forte: It’s very hard to answer that question and not give away some very tightly held secrets for what happens down the line. I guess the best way to answer it is that we had a plan from the very beginning. We pitched the show with the general outline of the whole first season already pretty well thought out, and we certainly had to buckle down and figure out a lot of intricacies and pain in the butt stuff, but the big, bold strokes of the season were already formed. And Fox loved the idea and really supported us, and liked how we had envisioned the arc of the first season. They were really great about giving us just a ton of creative freedom. They were great partners.

I think we always saw this as more of a cable show, to be honest. They claimed from the get-go that they didn’t want to change the tone of the show, and I think I went in with an eyebrow raised, thinking, okay, well when’s it going to come out that we have to change it around? And they were great. They stuck by their pledge and let us make this different type of show. We’re so happy to have had this experience. It was just a great, great experience with Fox.

Phil Lord: I would also add that even though it’s a very unusual show, Will’s original pitch had and the show has red meat, emotional character arc for Phil Miller that is an extremely universal thing. I think that’s what Fox saw, is that the bones of this are something that, when I show my hipster friends, they think this show is amazing. And when I show my mom, she thinks the show’s amazing too, because she really relates to Phil’s struggle.

When you’re asking about what’s this guy’s journey going to be like, we always talked about that this is a person who is very flawed, and a person who maybe needed the entire world to end in order for him to become his best self. And we’ve always talked about writing the show about somebody for whom the end of the world might turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to him, and over 100 episodes he basically turns into the person that we all hoped that he could be.

But basically that was our big thought, well here’s a guy who maybe he wasn’t the best guy in the regular world, but if you took the regular world away, could he eventually get back to being the person that all of us hope that we can be.

Will, you’ve played a lot of different characters, created a lot of different characters, what feels special about Phil to you?

Will Forte: Well, the exciting thing about this character is that it feels—I’m used to the experience at SNL, where I was an absurd character all the time, all these over-the-top characters, and had so much fun. It was such a blast. But I don’t know that people ever really got to know who the heck I was. I was just the dude in these huge, thick mustaches every week.

I guess that’s a bad way to answer this, because I do have an enormous beard in this show. But this is a chance to play a character that’s a little closer to who I am in real life and be a real person. In a lot of ways I felt some real similarities to the character that I got to play in the movie Nebraska, and this is a combination of the SNL craziness side and the Nebraska slightly more subdued side.

What is the biggest challenge with getting the pacing right, because it seems perfect and effortless on camera, but we all know it takes a lot of hard work to get the pacing right on any great show.

Chris Miller: Oh yes. This show in particular, because the pacing is a really important part of it, we like to spend a lot of time in the editing room. Will is equally as fussy as we are as far as going to the frame of what feels right. Then we also like to watch these things with a group and then see where people are engaged, and where people are fidgeting in their seats, checking their watches.

Phil Lord: And with this show in particular we actually asked Fox, which they don’t typically do this, we said, why don’t you get an audience that you would normally have for a multi-camera sitcom and just sit in and watch on show night, why don’t you get those guys and have them come in and watch The Last Man On Earth, and we’ll just sit and listen and we’ll videotape them and see where they laugh and where they don’t.

This show is on Sunday nights on Fox, and there’s a really specific audience of like Family Guy fans, and in comes a group of people that couldn’t be further from that audience. And we were all horrified, going, oh no. Then we showed it and they were so engaged and laughed so hard and were so vocal it gave us a huge sigh of relief. It just taught us that these are themes that land with a lot of different kinds of people. Part of it, and Chris is right, we found a few things that, okay, well nobody gets that and they’re getting everything else, so clearly that thing doesn’t work.

The big thing that was important to us and important to Will is that the performances didn’t feel fake, or zippy, or cartoon-y, that the show could have, we could edit, we could have short snippets of scenes. You saw some of that stuff where he’s playing with the tennis balls, it’s a very short moment, but the pacing of the moment within that space that we gave it was very natural, and in general the show allows for processing for someone to understand what something means before they respond to it.

We were really careful about making sure that the audience had time to project into the characters what they might be thinking and feeling, instead of being told that with dialogue all the time. Sometimes when shows are cut really, really fast they feel a little bit like they’re hiding something, or they’re a little scared to let you sit in the moment, and it was really important to Will in particular to allow us to experience things with the characters. We think it adds to the engagement with the show.

While we knew it was 21 minutes and it was on Fox, we wanted to make sure the show felt like it was never wasting your time. I think that’s really important. People are busy and they’ve got stuff to do, and we always take that really, really seriously, the same thing in our movies, but we wanted within the time that our audience is entrusting to us, we wanted it to be immersive.

How long do you think it would take you to go insane being the last man on earth? And as a follow up, completely unrelated, Will, I’m the biggest MacGruber fan and quote it on a daily basis. Can you give us any updates on the sequel?

Will Forte: Yes, happily. Thank you. I think I would go insane pretty quickly. Actually, you know what, I might last a little while, because I get kind of a hyper focus going, so I think I would probably get into some weird computer game that would take my mind off stuff for a while. But inevitably that would wear off and I would go crazy pretty quickly. I’m starting from a place of near craziness anyway, so it’s debatable that I’m not already there in a land with people.

As for MacGruber 2, Jorma, John, and I have been so busy. John Solomon is working on the show with me. He’s writing and directing some of the episodes, so we’ve been going nuts on that. Jorma is very busy with his own stuff. But we already have about half of an outline done, maybe more than a half. And the way we outline it is so in depth that by the time we actually sit down to write it, which I believe we’re planning to do in about a month, that’s my goal is to just get right in there, I think we’ll have a script pretty quickly.

And it does feel like there are some very real possibilities of places that might let us make it, which is very exciting. Before we would bring it up, just a dream scenario of trying to find somebody who might let us make it, but it seems like it could actually happen, which is very exciting.

Will, I was wondering, you have such great comedic timing. Is it always a natural ability that you’ve had, or have you had to try to hone it over the years? You worked at SNL, but you just have some great comedic timing.

Will Forte: Thank you very much. I feel like being at The Groundlings and having—I’m sure most of you know The Groundlings, it’s a wonderful comedy improv theater in Los Angeles, and it’s become such a family to me. And you get there and you just feel protected and safe, and you really get to get this wonderful confidence being on stage. I don’t think that I would ever have found any kind of comedy timing if I didn’t feel so safe in that environment. I would give all that credit to The Groundlings, and thank you for the compliment. That’s very nice.

“Focus, don’t stretch yourself too thin, and be realistic about the roles you are right for” – Casting Director Jen Rudin

It’s a question on every actor wants to know the answer to: what goes through the mind of a casting director? Casting director Jen Rudin recently sat down with Business 2 Community to discuss several topics, including how new media like YouTube factors into her casting process. Rudin is a longtime casting director who previously worked with Disney and is also the author of Confessions of a Casting Director.

Rudin explains that she seeks talent in all different kinds of media these days. She says, “Online content is growing, so I pay attention to that. We’ve seen a lot of talent come out of YouTube. I will see shows at UCB [Upright Citizens Brigade] and the PIT, I see a lot of theater, and I watch a lot of T.V. I’m always looking for talent. The agent is the seller and we are the buyer. I constantly meet people.”

However, Rudin certainly doesn’t find talent in just any YouTube video she comes across — content is still extremely important. She notes, “Technology is great, however, it doesn’t substitute for talent. When it comes to decisions, talent is always bigger. Anyone can post a video on YouTube and not have talent. There’s no longevity in that… I pay attention to it if it has a good story with compelling characters. Compelling characters are what I’m looking for. I can usually tell within a couple of minutes whether it’s worth my time or not.”

Rudin also had advice for when an actor should feel like signing with an agent is a necessity. She points out, “It’s the million-dollar question. I have a whole chapter about getting an agent. You get an agent once you start to have a little buzz. Actors can meet agents through networking at One On One, Actors Connection, etc. Sometimes you have to pay to network in this industry, but there are some success stories that come out of it. When you meet with an agent or manager, it’s important to be professional, and not come across as desperate. I suggest making a Google Doc and list all of the CD’s you’ve worked with and who know you. Don’t be a passive actor.”

Quality over quantity is another important aspect. Rudin recommends that actors concentrate on roles they would be best suited for, not just any role that comes along. She says, “You have to be realistic. Actors think they should be auditioning for everything all the time. Focus, don’t stretch yourself too thin, and be realistic about the roles you are right for. Manage expectations, keep it real. You must know your strengths and what characters you can play.“

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/casting-director-jen-rudin-youtube-agents-realistic-actors/feed/0Larry David on Who he Wanted to Star in his Broadway Play ‘Fish in the Dark': “Anybody but me”http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/larry-david-on-who-he-wanted-to-star-broadway-play-fish-in-the-dark/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/larry-david-on-who-he-wanted-to-star-broadway-play-fish-in-the-dark/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 20:23:57 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69556“It’s one of the reasons I didn’t like acting. I don’t like not being able to interject” – Larry David on acting with a script Who doesn’t like Larry David? Well, to be honest, Larry David probably doesn’t like Larry David. In fact, David didn’t even want to cast himself in the lead of […]

“It’s one of the reasons I didn’t like acting. I don’t like not being able to interject” – Larry David on acting with a script

Who doesn’t like Larry David? Well, to be honest, Larry David probably doesn’t like Larry David. In fact, David didn’t even want to cast himself in the lead of his first Broadway play Fish in the Dark, which is now in previews and opens on March 5. David spoke to the New York Times about why he didn’t want to star in a Broadway play and how he ended up doing so anyway.

David confesses that he vastly prefers the unscripted nature of a project like Curb Your Enthusiasm than performing with a script, but he still found thinks to love about performing on a stage. He explains, “It’s one of the reasons I didn’t like acting. I don’t like not being able to interject. I don’t like waiting to talk. You have to wait for the other person to finish with his lines. But I have to say the rehearsal process, much to my amazement, has been fun. I enjoyed it. I didn’t expect to.”

When asked if he wrote the play with any particular actor he mind, David instead narrows it down to the one person he didn’t want to see star in it. He reveals, “Anyone but me. That was the problem. I didn’t have anyone in mind and if I did, the character might have sounded different than me. The character sounds just like me, so it wasn’t a stretch for the producer Scott Rudin to go, ‘You should do this.'”

So if David didn’t want to star in the production, how did super-producer Rudin convince him otherwise? David responds, “He’s a very persuasive guy. He kept talking to me about it. He said, ‘Let’s do a reading.’ I said, ‘O.K., we’ll read it and see how that feels.’ I was in L.A. with a bunch of actors. It was fun. Rob Reiner, also a persuasive guy, said, ‘You got to do this play!’ When Rob Reiner yells at you, you listen to him.”

Now that he’s performing Fish in the Dark on Broadway seven times a week against his initial wishes, what does David hope to get out of it? He keeps it simple, saying that it’s all about, “Having fun. I think that’s it.“

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/larry-david-on-who-he-wanted-to-star-broadway-play-fish-in-the-dark/feed/0Watch this SAG Foundation Conversation with the Cast of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/sag-foundation-conversation-cast-of-the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/sag-foundation-conversation-cast-of-the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 20:04:36 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69487The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of those shows that starts and two hours later, you wonder where the time went.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of those shows that starts and two hours later, you wonder where the time went. You become absorbed in what’s happening on the stage; the actors, the set, the story are all fantastic. Especially Alex Sharp. In his Broadway debut, that young actor has to be recognized during Tony Awards season.

The show is about fifteen-year old Christopher (Sharp), who has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever.

In this Q&A with Sharp, Taylor Trensch, Francesca Faridany, Ian Barford, Enid Graham and Helen Carey, they talk about the show, their careers and more!

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/sag-foundation-conversation-cast-of-the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/feed/0Review: David Cronenberg’s ‘Maps to the Stars’ Starring Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowskahttp://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-david-cronenberg-maps-to-the-stars-starring-julianne-moore-robert-pattinson-mia-wasikowska/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-david-cronenberg-maps-to-the-stars-starring-julianne-moore-robert-pattinson-mia-wasikowska/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 17:36:21 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69692The film isn’t for everyone, I’ll say that. But Cronenberg captures the desperation of Hollywood perfectly and for that, it deserves a look.

Be prepared to meet some of the worst people in Los Angeles in David Cronenberg’sMaps to the Stars.

We’ve got the Weiss family: Stafford Weiss (John Cusack) a TV therapist who’s about to go on a book tour, his wife Cristina (Olivia Williams), the manager for their son, 13-year old Benji. Benji (Evan Bird), just out of rehab, is a child star who is about to start filming the sequel to his hit movie, Bad Babysitter.

We’ve also got Havana (Julianne Moore), an actress coming apart at the seams. She’ll do anything to grab her next role, playing the part her late mother mom made famous in a remake of the film. She sleeps with the star, begs a fellow actress to put in a good word to the director and even lobbies for the part after another actress has a tragic event take place.

Things start to shift in everyone’s world when the scarred – both mentally and physically – Agatha (Mia Wasikowska), the long, lost family member of the Weiss family arrives in town and quickly figures out how become part of the LA environment. “For a disfigured schizophrenic, you have the town pretty wired,” Benji tells her after finally reconnecting. She soon befriends an aspiring actor/limo driver (Robert Pattinson) and begins to work as a Havana’s personal assistant, who’s a patient of good ole’ Stafford Weiss.

Why has Agatha come back? Is it to try and reconnect with the family who threw her away when things got tough? Is it to redeem herself and get back the life she thinks she should have had? Or is it both?

The film is about the excess and fame of Hollywood and the lengths people go to in trying to keep both. And the thing is, these people actually do exist. I’ve met people like that over the years and they are terrible, terrible human beings. They feel entitled for some odd reason. Entitlement is weird because if you have it, even for a short while, you feel like you deserve it forever going forward. And none of these people have any real friends. They have people who work for them. They have family members. Hangers on and people who would leave in a heartbeat when things got tough.

Most of these characters are so reprehensible, except for Pattinson’s character, that when the inevitable bad things happen to them you’re genuinely happy.

Pattinson’s limo driver is just looking for a break. A young kid who’s got no connections in the business except for the executives he picks up while driving a limo. You can’t blame him when he falls into the world of these people.

Moore feels like she’s channeling Lindsay Lohan here. She desperate to seem younger than she is with the way she dresses and acts. She even has a higher pitched voice. She’s really great here and it’s the polar opposite of the character she plays in Still Alice.

It’s Wasikiwska though who is most impressive. She’s got the hardest role in the film and she’s terrific. If you haven’t noticed, she’s becoming a wonderful character actress who should be getting more recognition. Check her out in Tracks if you have a chance.

The film isn’t for everyone, I’ll say that. But Cronenberg captures the desperation of Hollywood perfectly and for that, it deserves a look.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-david-cronenberg-maps-to-the-stars-starring-julianne-moore-robert-pattinson-mia-wasikowska/feed/0Watch These Kids Audition at the Open Casting Call for Broadway’s ‘School of Rock’http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/watch-these-kids-audition-open-casting-call-for-broadway-school-of-rock/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/watch-these-kids-audition-open-casting-call-for-broadway-school-of-rock/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 22:09:13 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69497Earlier this month, an open casting call for the Broadway musical adaptation of School of Rock was held at the Winter Garden Theater.

Earlier this month, an open casting call for the Broadway musical adaptation of School of Rock was held at the Winter Garden Theater. The new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical was looking for several young actors and musicians to perform in the stage version of the 2003 Jack Black comedy.

The New York Times was there and filmed the audition process. It features dozens of kids auditioning — some much better than others — all hoping for a big break on Broadway.

If at first these students appear to be auditioning better than you do, don’t fret too much — just watch for the kid picking his nose. You’ve probably never have done that in an audition before (or have you?)

Foxcatcher: When wealthy John du Pont (Steve Carell) invites Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) to move to his estate and help form a wrestling team for the 1988 Olympics, Mark sees a way to step out of the shadow of his charismatic brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). However, du Pont begins to lead Mark down a dark road, causing the athlete’s self-esteem to slip. Meanwhile, du Pont becomes fixated on bringing Dave into the fold, eventually propelling all three toward an unforeseen tragedy.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/screenplay-bennett-millers-foxcatcher/feed/0Screenplay: ‘Whiplash’http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/screenplay-whiplash/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/screenplay-whiplash/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 21:52:57 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69610Whiplash: A first-year music student (Miles Teller) wins a seat behind the drums in a jazz band led by a teacher (J.K. Simmons) who uses fear and intimidation to push his students to perfection.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/screenplay-whiplash/feed/0Q & A: Judy Greer Talks ‘Archer': “I feel like we’re just as fresh and funny as we started out being”http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/judy-greer-interview-archer-season-6/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/judy-greer-interview-archer-season-6/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 21:23:15 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69650"I still laugh out loud every time I read a new script and that's really rare" - Judy Greer on 'Archer'

“I still laugh out loud every time I read a new script and that’s really rare” – Judy Greer on ‘Archer‘

The sixth season of Archer, FX’s hit animated comedy, is airing and as always, it’s hilarious. Judy Greer, who voices Cheryl on the show, recently did a conference call with the press to talk about the show and more.

Archer airs at 10pm on Thursdays on FX

It just seems surprising and the time has flown by so quickly that you’re already into the sixth season. I was just wondering for you does it feel like it’s been six seasons and do you ever wonder what can they come up with next?

Judy Greer: Well, I did wonder that, I guess, after the fourth season and then there was Archer Vice and I was like, oh, yes. That’s what they’re going to do, make it totally different. It was really fun. I can’t really believe it’s been so long because I think all of the cast members would answer the same that none of us ever thought it was even going to get picked up in the first place. So, like, we’re always just thrilled every year when we get our pickup.

It just feels, I don’t know, to me it still feels as fresh. I still laugh out loud every time I read a new script and that’s really rare. I really, I don’t know, I think that they’ve managed to keep the level—it’s stays as funny or it doesn’t seem like they’re losing energy or steam at all when they’re writing. Yes. It feels just as fresh as the beginning to me, honestly.

You’ve got a bunch of movies coming out this year. How do you balance that with the schedule of doing the voice-over for the series?

Judy Greer: Well, the guys at Archer make it really easy for all of us. I can record it anywhere I am if there’s a recording studio and that’s pretty cool. Where ever I am on location I can usually, even in the weirdest little places, usually there’s probably a recording studio and so we just work it out like that. I think one of the things that they liked about casting all of us is that we all work a lot and we all are very busy. They just make it really easy for us. And those on TV animated shows record the cast all together which seems like it’d be really fun but I’m really glad Archer doesn’t do that. That would make it a lot harder.

Season 6 is sort of bringing Archer back to basics a little bit and leaving behind the last year’s story line. You had to say goodbye to “Cherlene.”

Judy Greer: I know. What a drag.

How much are you going to miss her and are the producers making it up to you with something juicy for this season?

Judy Greer: This season has been crazy. I’m going to miss “Cherlene,” but all good things must come to an end, I guess. They, I feel like, have definitely made it up to me this season. This season has just been really fun because now we work for the CIA so that changes everything. We have a boss. We never really had a boss before, you know. I mean, we had “Malory” but not a boss-boss.

We were just like our own thing. It’s fun. It’s fun to see like how it’s changing all the characters like having to work for the CIA. I loved ArcherVice so much but I’ve been really into this season because it’s just fun to kind of go back to what we were doing in the beginning.

At this point in the game, are there any scripts that you get that still catch you off guard, surprise you a little bit, or are you just kind of used to it and you’re like what kind of madness do the guys have in store for me this go around?

Judy Greer: You know, it’s funny because there was one major thing that happened this season that like blew me away. When I was reading it I couldn’t believe it happened. It was because it was like the opposite of a terrible thing. I don’t want to be a spoiler but it was a nice cool thing. Now that’s what blows me away when I read the script. It’s never like, how can you say that or how can we do that? But this one particular thing that happened towards the end of the season. I was like, what, because it was kind of awesome.

It seems like everybody on Archer says some pretty wheeled off stuff. Do you ever go, okay, what am I even saying here? Do you ever ask that kind of thing?

Judy Greer: I do have to ask that stuff but usually it’s because it’s some really bizarre obscure reference to like a really old trivia kind of question. I’m like, wait, who is this person and they’re like “he invented the watermelon, Judy.” I’m like, “okay, how would anyone know that. Why would anybody know that? You’re all crazy.”

Do you have a different attitude whenever you’re voicing one of your different personas, like, I got “Cheryl,” “Cherlene”? How do you go into the studio?

Judy Greer: Well, I probably should lie about this but I really don’t do much. I think a lot of us just go in and say the words. I don’t have to do much because they really write the characters so well and when I go in it’s like already right there. I felt like “Cherlene” was a mess. I don’t know. The way that they wrote her she was enough different that it’s made it fun for me to do something a little different. But I still thought “Cheryl” was in there, you know.

And who would be your favorite? Who’s your favorite to do?

Judy Greer: I love “Malory.” You know, it changes. “Pam” is so amazing and “Cheryl’s” such a sad sack. But other than “Malory,” I never get tired of “Malory.” I love it.

How much participation do you get in coming up with the crazy stuff that “Cheryl” has to say and have you ever cringed with any of it? And, also, do people randomly come up to you in the street and ask you to scream, “You’re not my supervisor?”

Judy Greer: Yes to number three, 100%. I’ve even done people with outgoing messages which is so funny, screaming, “You’re not my supervisor,” like at a person’s cell phone. It’s really fun for me. Let’s see, then the second question was, is there anything I have to say that makes me cringe?

Yes.

Judy Greer: I would have to say that less lately. Not because they’re making it any less cringe worthy but because I’m building up an immunity to all the sex and violence and weird, terrible. There was, actually, as I’m saying this, there was a line in an episode I recorded last week which is like a part one of a two part season finale. There was something that my character said that I was like, really guys. That’s really dark. But still, it’s always still a pleasure to say. Do you know what I mean? I’m like, oh, yes, I’ll go there but that’s really a dark place.

How much influence do you have in some of the lines?

Judy Greer: Yes. I would say that they will let me do whatever I want. That doesn’t always mean that they keep it in but they’re so cool. They’re like, yes, say it. Sometimes I’ll just try a million different things and when they laugh out loud is when I know I’ve got it. Sometimes I’ll just keep saying the line over and over in a different way until I get that laugh. Then when I get the laugh I’ll say it again exactly the same way so they have it twice.

They’re also so cool if I want to ad lib, change lines, add any sounds, like, not say part of a line because it’s funnier to just say half of it or something. They’re so open to anything. Like, they’re really chill people. I don’t know if it’s because they’re in Atlanta and that’s the south or what but oh my gosh. Like anything goes.

How much fun do you have on the Archer Live! dates and can we expect anymore to happen in the near future?

Judy Greer: Well, I was only able to do one unfortunately. I had one of the best nights ever doing it. If they ever ask me to do it again I will in a heartbeat. It’s so fun. The audience is so great. I don’t know. Like, Lucky [Yates] and Amber Nash have really sort of taken over the show and turned it into this really cool interactive audience participation kind of show.

If I was a fan of a show and there was something like that came to town I would just die. It seemed so fun and everyone was so cool. Our fans are really cools fans, too. They’re not freaks, weirdoes, even though you think that they would be because our show is so freaky and weird. They’re all really supportive and really want to laugh. Doing a show, live show, any kind of live show for people who are dying to laugh is just the best, you know. I think it was a really cool idea. It was really fun the way they sort of turned it into like we’re going sit here on stage and read you live one of the episodes, it becomes this cool like interactive thing.

When we did it in Austin, Texas, we had someone signing two people doing sign language on the side which we were like, wait, what? Then we started seeing like a ton of dirty words just to see what those words were in sign language and it turned into a whole different show where we were like, “How do you do this word in sign language?” And the poor people doing the signing were like, “Oh my gosh.” We were making them say the dirtiest of the dirty words. Those poor guys. There was a young guy and he was just laughing. But then there was a woman who was like, “I don’t want to sign this.”

For six seasons for an animated series on television, prime time television, is pretty incredible. We know the writing is superb and we know the acting is brilliant. What do you think keeps people coming back to the show in terms of the ever growing fan base? What is it about the show you think?

Judy Greer: Well, I guess it all kind of has to start with the writing, especially in an animated show. We’re not Pixar. Like, it is what it is and it’s meant to be that way. It’s supposed to be throwback. The look of the show is specific and intentional but we’re not breaking new ground with animation and computers and stuff which is the idea.

However, I think then it really just all comes from the writing. It’s so funny. Adam Reed writes every single episode. One guy writes everything. It’s pretty amazing. I feel like there’s a real sense of continuity within the show, even with an Archer Vice. The voices of our characters and I don’t mean it literally, I mean it figuratively. They really stay the same. There’s a ton of continuity and tone, character, character arch. I think that it’s just extremely rare to see any kind of TV show that completely written by one person, regardless of what any show runner will tell you. This is actually really that and I think that’s kind of what keeps people coming back and what keeps it so fresh and so funny.

Adam still is just as excited about it at episode whatever one we’re at. At the end of—I’ve recorded just last week the first of the two-part season finale and it’s just as funny and weird and exciting. Yes. I think that is why people keep coming back and why the fans are so avid because Adam is still so into it. We’re still so into it. I feel like we’re just as fresh and funny as we started out being.

In addition to doing voice of the season finale what else are you working on at this very moment because you’ve got a ton of projects?

Judy Greer: Yes. I’ve been busy, man. Let’s see, I start going back to my new TV show called Married also on FX. I’ll start that in about a month, maybe a month and a week. Then I’m doing press for this. I’m going to go to Sundance on Wednesday for a movie I have there called Grandma that Lily Tomlin and Julia Garner star in that Paul Weitz wrote and directed. Then, I’ve got a couple of movies coming out this summer, Ant-Man and Jurassic World which I’m really excited about, obviously. Yes, so I’m doing press for that and working on getting ready to start shooting Married which is so fun but a pretty rigorous shooting schedule. So I like to get really prepared for that.

Well, I heard you yawning so you probably work too hard you don’t have much time to sleep.

Judy Greer: Oh my gosh, you know what? I think I have some sort of weird oxygen deficiency. Also, last night we had some of my step son’s friends over and they don’t have school today and the children just would not leave, oh my stars. I was like, I’m always bugging them to have their friends over and then they do and I’m like I’m too old for this.

Do you ever find that you share any character traits with “Cheryl”?

Judy Greer: I kind of find that I want to. I don’t think I do. I don’t have the balls that she does. I wish I did. She doesn’t really have any kind of inner editor, does she. She pretty much just says whatever she thinks. I don’t do that. I wish I was more like that. I’m pretty good not sharing a lot of her other dreams. She’s a really intense person. I wonder if she even sleeps at night. I never really thought about it.

Going out to the conventions over the years, I’ve seen the fandom for Archer consistently grow. How do you feel about the fans and witnessing that? What’s been one of your most interesting fan experiences?

Judy Greer: It was a while ago. The first year that we went to Comic-Con they put us in this ballroom. It was really great. They showed an episode. We did a Q&A panel and it was really fun. There were about 500 people there. One year later we went back to Comic-Con so this would’ve been after the second season and there were 2000 people there. To see in one year our fan base grow in size that much so quickly like the Comic-Con was like we had to get you like a huger ballroom. That was sort of like a really cool fan moment that I remember.

All of us stood up on our chairs and took pictures of all the people because we couldn’t believe it because you think when you’re recording a TV show you really feel like you’re in a bubble. So to see it grow, our fans multiply like that, it was really special. It made me really happy for the guys who make the show, Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, especially, too, because they’re in Atlanta. We get a lot of love here in L.A. for Archer but in Atlanta it seems like they maybe they don’t get to see how great it is to be on Archer.

There was a time when it seemed like there were actors who specialized in voice work and then there were the actors who did movies and TV. I think in recent years we’re seeing more and more very, very busy working actors and actresses like yourself. You talked about how much you’ve got going on right now making time to do animation and do it regularly. Why do you think that is? What’s sparking this move of more recognizable actors into animation in the last five/ten years?

Judy Greer: Well, that’s a really good question. I think that I would love to say it’s maybe the success of shows like Archer and Bob’s Burgers. All the animated adult [indiscernible] shows. The Simpsons, really, that’s been on for like 70 years now, I think. Like that really broke ground, I think, for having like a segue show that something like kids and adults can watch and that the humor is really smart. Family Guy is another one. What Seth McFarland is doing in American Dad. I don’t know.

I feel like those shows just have become so successful and they’re so funny. I don’t know budget-wise if it’s cheaper to do an animated show or a live action show. I guess that’s a question for the producers. I do know we can get away with a lot more in an animated show. I think for guys like Adam Reed and the people who make those other smart funny shows, I think, you don’t have to compromise your sense of humor if you’re doing an animated show versus like what you can and can’t say or show on a live action show.

So, because of it the scripts are really funny. The scripts are really smart. Then they’re attracting kind of different caliber of actor who—a, it’s a freaking awesome job because you go to work for like 30 minutes when you do it. Maybe Aisha [Tyler] and [H.] Jon Benjamin have to go for longer. But, for me, I’m in and out in 30 minutes. It’s really great. It’s really fun. It’s very creatively fulfilling. I think a lot of people are getting turned on by it, turned on by it, how sassy. They’re getting turned onto it because it’s like a cool job where you get to let loose in that little recording room and let go in a way that you can’t always on a set full of people.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/judy-greer-interview-archer-season-6/feed/0Former ‘The Young and the Restless’ Star Victoria Rowell Sues Over Alleged Racismhttp://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/former-the-young-and-the-restless-star-victoria-rowell-sues-over-alleged-racism/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/former-the-young-and-the-restless-star-victoria-rowell-sues-over-alleged-racism/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 21:43:17 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69525Is racism or sour grapes keeping actress Victoria Rowell off daytime TV? Rowell is suing several parties, including CBS, Sony Pictures, and Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Inc., over being denied the opportunity to reprise her Drucilla Winters character on The Young and the Restless and on the soap’s “sister show” The Bold and the Beautiful. Rowell […]

Rowell is suing several parties, including CBS, Sony Pictures, and Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Inc., over being denied the opportunity to reprise her Drucilla Winters character on The Young and the Restless and on the soap’s “sister show” The Bold and the Beautiful. Rowell played the character on the series for seventeen years until 2007, and has had made several requests to return the series since 2010. Rowell believes that the snub is because she has been vocal about her support for more black actors being cast in soap operas, and is claiming that behind-the-scenes racism is the reason she is being denied a chance to return.

In the suit, Rowell also alleges that during her years on the show there were many instances of racism, including an accusation that series star Melody Thomas Scott once mocked Rowell’s Afro hairstyle, and that her hairstylist was banned from the set.

CBS denied the accusations in a statement, pointing out that Rowell left the show “on her own initiative” and “has attempted to rewrite that history through lawyers’ letters and a lawsuit that has no merit… We harbor no ill will toward Ms. Rowell, but we will vigorously defend this case.”

It’s worth noting that the current cast of The Young and the Restless includes Mishael Morgan, who is African Canadian, and Christel Khalil, who is of mixed race heritage. In addition, African American actor Kristoff St. John has been part of the cast since 1991.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/former-the-young-and-the-restless-star-victoria-rowell-sues-over-alleged-racism/feed/0Helen Mirren on Winning an Oscar: “It’s an indescribable moment”http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/helen-mirren-on-winning-an-oscar/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/helen-mirren-on-winning-an-oscar/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 21:38:49 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69631"It’s hard to say, because you don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t won" - Helen Mirren When Asked If Winning an Oscar Changed Her Career

“It’s hard to say, because you don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t won” – Helen Mirren When Asked If Winning an Oscar Changed Her Career

Each of the four acting Oscar winners at this year’s Academy Awards were first-time winners, so none of them really knew what to expect when they heard their name called at the Dolby Theatre. Hopefully, Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, Patricia Arquette, and JK Simmons had the opportunity to read the Variety interview in which Helen Mirren, who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2007 for her role in The Queen, spoke about what it was like the night she won her Oscar.

Mirren admits that she sat in her seat partially dreading that her name would be called. She recalls, “It’s an indescribable moment. Part of you is terrified they will call your name because the fear of making a fool of yourself is paramount. But then it’s this incredible pleasure, to sort of feel like you haven’t been found out — because as actors, we always think we’re going to be discovered as frauds. It’s joyous, it’s thrilling and there’s a little bit of guilt.”

What she means by “guilt” is that art is subjective. She clarifies, “It’s not a race. It’s very clear in a sprint or a marathon who’s best. But you can never say who is best at acting or painting or writing. You’re all just as good, not only as the people nominated, but a whole community of people who did amazing work and weren’t nominated.”

If being onstage isn’t exhilarating enough, the rush continues backstage. Mirren recalls, “When you win, you get rushed around backstage, and you always seem to be walking through a kitchen where people are doing real work. And everyone stops to say congratulations. It’s this wonderfully sweet, communal thing where everyone gets into the excitement.”

While Mirren knows that being an Oscar winner has changed her career, she isn’t sure just how much. She says, “It’s hard to say, because you don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t won. It’s a bit like becoming a Dame of the British Empire; once you win the Oscar, it becomes attached to your name. You’re ‘Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren.’ So yes, undoubtedly it raised my profile.”

“Pretend that your self-tape is going to be the only thing that the casting director or director is going to see” – Talent Agent Josiah Akinyele on Self-Taped Auditions

Josiah Akinyele is a top talent agent at Innovative Artists with clients on one of the hottest TV shows of this season, How to Get Away with Murder. In this interview, he talks helping actors discover themselves, selecting new clients and his biggest bug bear – not being off book on self-taped auditions.

Josiah gives us ‘the bite’ on your 6 hot questions.

You have a wealth of experience as an agent with clients across some of TV’s hottest shows. What drove you to be more hands on in shaping an actors career?

Josiah Akinyele: Well it took me a while to figure out that I was going to be an agent. But I always knew that I wanted to be within the industry and to help people. I love people. It’s about helping people fulfill their dreams and push through. It’s also a process of helping them discover who they are. A lot of actors are at different stages of their careers. I represent talent in the early stages of their career. At this point they are finding themselves, their voice and what they respond to. I also represent actors who have been working for a while and trying to figure out that next step, to transition them from what they were known for. So I really enjoy collaborating with my actors to find that next thing and that really drives me. The passion for them and to see them feel that calling. I’m all about that calling. I really believe in that. ​

Can you talk us through your process of selecting a new client to represent?

Josiah Akinyele: Well… there are different levels of that and different ways to do that. First of all our agency is a referral only agency. We have a lot of relationships with casting directors, producers, managers and people in the business. I always get calls from XYZ or a casting director that I trust saying ‘Josiah, I just met this great kid at my workshop and I think he’s a winner. I think you will be perfect for him. You should meet him.’ I also work with the comedy department who scout or see talent.

Once I meet them, I see if I’m connected to them. I have to be passionate about who I sign. ​That is the main thing that makes me sign anybody. And the way it works at our agency, is we do a whole team representation. Everybody works for everybody so it’s a lot easier. We are all supportive of each other. I work with about 40 plus clients but every single one of these guys I’m personally invested in.

Do you feel it’s important to take on new unknown talent?

Josiah Akinyele: I do feel that it is important. I think it is at times challenging to break a new person but very rewarding. It has to be someone really special. And I mean I watch a lot of television and I watch a lot of movies. I have a personal taste for web series’ and I watch a lot of that. And I sometimes find someone who stands out. But I still think I found my greatest clients through people. Through casting directors who are meeting actors every day and see what they can do.

What is the rough percentage of new unknown talent in your current roster of clients?

Josiah Akinyele: I actually have a few people who are relatively unknown. I had a guy who last year was mostly unknown but now everybody knows who he is. You always live for that… It’s everybody’s dream to find that next breakout actor.

What are the three things you would consider bug bears that actors do on self-tapes?

Josiah Akinyele: I would firstly say pretend that your self-tape is going to be the only thing that the casting director or director is going to see. I hate it when people send self-tapes with bad lighting, or bad sound but I think my biggest bug bear is actors not being off book. Not having that paper allows you the freedom to invest in the character so you’re not thinking about your lines. You don’t need to get the tape professionally done but you can you can do that if you like. People also do self-tapes on iPhones and it’s awesome. Find a good spot in their rooms with good light, a good background or next to a window. Your self-tape is the opportunity for you to present a fully formed character. You have 2 mins or 2 seconds to catch the attention of the casting person who is watching.

If an actor found a clever way of contacting you to self-promote (so no emails, no calling or creepy stuff). Would you welcome it?

Josiah Akinyele: If it’s somebody that hasn’t done anything then it doesn’t do anything for me. If you want to work with me then get into an acting class and start booking some stuff. Like some real stuff, not self-produced. Go out and get a manager. Then I’ll find you. Or your manager can reach out to me, or a casting director who loves you can reach out to me. And that’s a call I’ll take. Actors also invite me out to their plays. And if I’m available I’ll go.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/interview-talent-agent-josiah-akinyele-on-finding-talent-self-taped-auditions/feed/0Watch the Acceptance Speeches from Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, Eddie Redmayne and Patricia Arquettehttp://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/acceptance-speeches-julianne-moore-jk-simmons-eddie-redmayne-patricia-arquette/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/acceptance-speeches-julianne-moore-jk-simmons-eddie-redmayne-patricia-arquette/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 17:24:53 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69617Of the four speeches from last nights Academy Awards acting categories, J.K. Simmons was my favorite. We’d heard him say some of the same things back when he won his SAG Award but the whole ‘call your parents’ moment really got me. Did I call my parents? No, but that’s because I’m a jackass. But […]

Of the four speeches from last nights Academy Awards acting categories, J.K. Simmons was my favorite. We’d heard him say some of the same things back when he won his SAG Award but the whole ‘call your parents’ moment really got me. Did I call my parents? No, but that’s because I’m a jackass. But it was still a lovely moment.

Eddie Redmayne‘s was fun as well. That moment when he jumped up and down was really nice. Patricia Arquette and Julianne Moore are just two wonderful human beings, aren’t they? Besides being terrific actresses, they are smart and caring and their speeches reflected that.

Check out the speeches from Simmons (Whiplash), Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Moore (Still Alice) and Arquette (Boyhood) below!

Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything

Eddie Redmayne: I don’t think I’m capable of articulating quite how I feel right now. Please know this, I am fully aware that I am a lucky, lucky man. This Oscar—wow!—this Oscar, this belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS. It belongs to one exceptional family: Stephen, Jane, Jonathan and the Hawking children. And I will be its custodian and I will promise you I will look after him. I will polish him. I will answer his beck and call. I will wait on him hand and foot. But I would not be here were it not for an extraordinary troupe of people. My staggering partner in crime, Felicity Jones. My ferocious and yet incredibly kind director, James Marsh. Working Title, Focus, Lisa and Anthony, Nina and my ingenious team of Dallas, Josh, Gene, Jason, Elan, Carl, Britney and Carrie and Pip. Now, finally, please, this is so extraordinary. I just want to thank my family and you, Hannah, my wife. I love you so much. We have a new fellow coming to share our apartment. Thank you.

Actress in a Leading Role: Julianne Moore for Still Alice

Julianne Moore: Thank you so much. I read an article that said that winning an Oscar could lead to living five years longer. If that’s true, I’d really like to thank the Academy because my husband is younger than me. There’s no such thing as best actress, as is evidenced by the performances of my fellow nominees. I’ve been honored to be among you every step of the way. I am grateful for this and grateful for the opportunity to stand up here and thank people that I love. My manager Evelyn O’Neill, Kevin Huvane, Steven Huvane, Josh Lieberman, my family, my grandparents, my brother Peter, my sister Valerie, my mother and father who told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be if I got an education. Although, I didn’t think they meant being an actress. And I thank my dad for showing me the world. I want to thank everybody who made this movie: Sony Classics, Killer Films, James Brown, Lex Lutzus, Lisa Genova, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin. I’m so happy—I’m thrilled actually that we were able to hopefully shine a light on Alzheimer’s disease. So many people with this disease feel isolated and marginalized and one of the wonderful things about movies is it makes us feel seen and not alone. And people with Alzheimer’s deserve to be seen, so that we can find a cure. And finally, to our filmmakers, Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, who had hoped to be here tonight but they can’t because of Richard’s health. When Richard was diagnosed with ALS, Wash asked him what he wanted to do. Did he want to travel? Did he want to see the world? And he said that he wanted to make movies and that’s what he did. And, finally, for my husband Bart and our children, Cal and Liv, thank you for my life. Thank you for giving me a home. Thank you very much for this.

Actor in a Supporting Role: J.K. Simmons for Whiplash

J.K. Simmons: Wow, thank you. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to everyone involved in the making of Whiplash. And I am grateful everyday for the most remarkable person I know: my wife, the wonderful Michelle Schumacher. I’m grateful for your love, your kindness, your wisdom, your sacrifice and your patience. Which brings me to the above-average children—even though I may try their patience more. Joe and Olivia, you are extraordinary human beings. Smart, funny, kind, loving people and that’s because you are a reflection of your mother. And if I may, call your mom, everybody. I’ve told this [to], like, a billion people, or so. Call your mom, call your dad. If you’re lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet, call ‘em. Don’t text. Don’t email. Call them on the phone. Tell ‘em you love ‘em, and thank them, and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you. Thank you. Thank you, Mom and Dad.

Actress in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette for Boyhood

Patricia Arquette: Thank you to the Academy, to my beautiful, powerful nominees. To IFC, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen Sutherland, Molly Madden, David DeCamillo, our whole cast and our crew. My Boyhood family, who I love and admire. Our brilliant director Richard Linklater. The impeccable Ethan Hawke. My lovelies, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater. Thomas and Paul, thank you for giving me my beautiful children. Enzo and Harlow, you’re the deepest people that I know. My friends who all work so hard to make this world a better place. To my parents, Rosanna, Richmond, Alexis and David. To my favorite painter in the world, Eric White, for the inspiration of living with a genius. To my heroes, volunteers and experts who have helped me bring ecological sanitation to the developing world with GiveLove.org. To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/acceptance-speeches-julianne-moore-jk-simmons-eddie-redmayne-patricia-arquette/feed/0And the Winners of the 87th Annual Academy Awards are….http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/87th-annual-academy-awards-winners/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/87th-annual-academy-awards-winners/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 16:27:52 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69614The 87th Oscars were a bit of a snoozer. No fault of Neil Patrick Harris who I thought he was good (as usual) but it felt like there was zero excitement while watching the show. In all of the major categories (except for Best Director), the favorites won. The only thing saving the evening was […]

The 87th Oscars were a bit of a snoozer. No fault of Neil Patrick Harris who I thought he was good (as usual) but it felt like there was zero excitement while watching the show. In all of the major categories (except for Best Director), the favorites won. The only thing saving the evening was that it was National Margarita Day. Yay booze!

Birdman won four awards, including Best Picture. I was hoping for Boyhood but – shocker! – they Academy went with a film about an actor. The Theory Of Everything‘s Eddie Redmayne and Still Alice‘s Julianne Moore took home the Best Actor and Best Actress statues and Patricia Arquette of Boyhood and JK Simmons from Whiplash won in the Supporting Actress categories.

Check out the list below!

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEARBirdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, Producers

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Julianne Moore in Still Alice

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/87th-annual-academy-awards-winners/feed/0Watch: James Earl Jones Performs a Monologue From Broadway’s ‘You Can’t Take It With You’http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/james-earl-jones-monologue-broadway-you-cant-take-it-with-you/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/james-earl-jones-monologue-broadway-you-cant-take-it-with-you/#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 17:13:28 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=68237You'll definitely want to check out the video from featuring Jones performing his character's closing monologue from the play.

This weekend is your last chance to see James Earl Jones at the Longacre Theater in Broadway’s You Can’t Take It With You, which closes on Sunday. The beloved 1936 play is as much of an American classic as Jones himself is (he was actually born five years before the play was written), and he’s earned rave reviews for his role as family patriarch Grandpa Vanderhoff.

If you won’t have a chance to see Jones in the play before it closes (or even if you do), you’ll definitely want to check out the above video from the New York Times featuring Jones performing his character’s closing monologue from the play. It’s a short clip, but it’s stirring.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/james-earl-jones-monologue-broadway-you-cant-take-it-with-you/feed/0Review: ‘The Last Five Years’ Starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordanhttp://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-the-last-five-years-starring-anna-kendrick-jeremy-jordan/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-the-last-five-years-starring-anna-kendrick-jeremy-jordan/#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 00:07:27 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69573Based on the musical of the same name, The Last Five Years is exactly what a fan of the show could ever want.

Any musical theater geek can tell you that Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years is a masterpiece. And if you’ve never heard anyone say that, well, I’m here to be the first.

It’s a freakin’ masterpiece!

I’ve listened to the Original Cast recording so many times that almost I’m surprised my neighbors haven’t beaten me to death in the lobby of our building.

Based on the musical of the same name, The Last Five Years is exactly what a fan of the show could ever want.

The story, told almost all in songs, is about the five-year love affair and eventual disintegration of a relationship. Cathy (Anna Kendrick) is a struggling actress who falls in love with Jamie (Jeremy Jordan), an up and coming novelist.

The twist is that Cathy’s story and songs begin at the end of the relationship and move backwards in time while Jamie’s start at the beginning and move forward. Eventually the two stories meet in the middle when Jamie proposes.

Honestly, if this were a traditional film told in the a normal narrative without songs, it would be nothing special. But with the addition of composer/writer Brown’s brilliant songs and storytelling, it changes the way you view and hear the story. His lyrics are so deep, catchy and moving that even those without a soul would be moved.

At the start of the film, Jamie is why the marriage breaks up. By the end, it could be Cathy’s fault. That’s the beauty of this structure, we’re told both sides. Everyone has a version of a breakup and here we’re treated to both sides.

Directed deftly by Richard LaGravenese, the story flows seamlessly and you never question the time shifts.

The original cast starred Norbert Leo Brown and Sheri Rene Scott and I went into the film thinking that nothing could replace them. In my mind, they were my Cathy and Jamie. But after the first couple songs, Kendrick and Jordan proved me wrong, making each lyric and note their own, Jordan especially. He’s got a voice that’ll make any musical theater actor jealous. Kendrick is, I think, almost single-handily, bringing back the movie musical. While she doesn’t match Scott for power, her acting more than makes up for it. We live through the story through her face and it’s at times funny and at times so incredibly heartbreaking.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to watch this again. And so can you at your local theater or streaming on Amazon.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-the-last-five-years-starring-anna-kendrick-jeremy-jordan/feed/0Review: ‘All the Wilderness’ Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee and Danny DeVitohttp://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-all-the-wilderness-kodi-smit-mcphee-danny-devito/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-all-the-wilderness-kodi-smit-mcphee-danny-devito/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 22:40:19 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69570Imagine if your father died when you were young. That event alone would transform your whole life, even more so your teen years. That’s the thrust of the story of writer/director Michael Johnson’s debut film, All the Wilderness. It’s a coming of age story about a kid named, James (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is already old […]

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Imagine if your father died when you were young. That event alone would transform your whole life, even more so your teen years. That’s the thrust of the story of writer/director Michael Johnson’s debut film, All the Wilderness.

It’s a coming of age story about a kid named, James (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is already old beyond his years. He listens to Chopin, recites poetry and is already halfway through reading Moby Dick. He roams the woods alone in his neighborhood, sketches dead animals and bugs and prefers to be left alone.

His mom (Virginia Madsen) is almost to her wits end with him and his psychiatrist (Danny DeVito), in between carving and sanding chess pieces, can’t seem to get anywhere either.

One night, James sneaks out of his house and randomly meets up with Harmon (Evan Ross) and Crystal (Hannah Barefoot), who let him tag along on their night out. It turns out that they’re a good anecdote for him.

Remember when you were young and met new people away from school? You could become whoever or whatever you wanted because these new people have no idea of your past. It’s liberating actually. And that’s what’s happens with James. He sees a side of the city he’s never witnessed and it helps that Harmon is on top of everything, guiding him.

Harmon is bold and lives life and James begins to feed off that, albeit very slowly. Harmon forces him to talk to another of DeVito’s patients, Val (Isabelle Furhman), who he’s got a crush on and the two begin to hang out more and more.

The movie really feels like it’s about the randomness of teenage life. Experiencing new things, new people and reacting to that but on the back of James losing his father.

With this randomness though, it leads to the movie being a bit like that. The story is flimsy to say the least. James doesn’t really progress as a character beyond rebelling a bit. Madsen’s mother character has a small story that shows her with a (maybe?) new boyfriend but we never get any kind of closure on that. Nor do we find out what happens with Harmon and his new other friends. Everything is left dangling.

Smit-McPhee can portray loneliness and longing better than any your actor working these days. And by the way, he’s going to make an incredible Nightcrawler in the new X-Men movie.

Johnson is definitely talented. He’s got that lonesomeness of teen life down and the scenes with DeVito were the best of the film; understated and wonderfully acted. Some parts feel like a Terrence Malick film; long sequences of characters roaming about seeming discovering the world around them while music blares. Like Malick though, I got tired of it after the first segment. That being said, I’m definitely going to keep a lookout for what he’s directing next.

]]>http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/review-all-the-wilderness-kodi-smit-mcphee-danny-devito/feed/0Anna Chlumsky on Her Broadway Debut: “For me, it was an opportunity to go in the direction that I hadn’t played in a while”http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/anna-chlumsky-broadway-debut-ensemble/
http://www.dailyactor.com/2015/02/anna-chlumsky-broadway-debut-ensemble/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 20:23:31 +0000http://www.dailyactor.com/?p=69537"I think my personality lends itself to ensembles" - Anna Chlumsky

“I think my personality lends itself to ensembles” – Anna Chlumsky

Though the new season of HBO’s Veep doesn’t premiere until April, Anna Chlumsky, who plays the Vice President’s Chief of Staff on the show, has been busy on Broadway. She took over for Rose Byrne in You Can’t Take It With You on January 6, and after that production closes on February 22 she’ll jump into Living on Love, which begins previews on April 1. In an interview with Broadway.com, Chlumsky spoke about working with ensemble casts, why she always welcomes a new acting challenge, and what convinced her to pursue acting in the first place.

Chlumsky has earned rave reviews for her role in the ensemble comedy Veep, which translated to her stage role in the ensemble of You Can’t Take It With You. On acting in an ensemble cast, Chlumsky says, “I think my personality lends itself to ensembles, but also I’m sure my personality has been shaped by being in so many ensembles. The fact that I was jumping right in with few rehearsals into this play—the day after we wrapped Veep—I was confident I could handle it because Veep is so fast-paced.”

While the ensembles are similar, the content of Veep and You Can’t Take It With You are obviously very different. For Chlumsky, it gives her the opportunity to work a different set of acting muscles. She explains, “For me, it was an opportunity to go in the direction that I hadn’t played in a while. When you’re playing a [TV] role for a couple of months every single day it’s exciting to have a different role to fill in the gaps that you haven’t been filling for the past few months. This kind of feels like, ‘Oh goody, I get to say hello to all those other parts of me for a second.’ I love it when that happens.”

Acting on stage every day is a huge difference from what Chlumsky did before. She recalls her pre-acting days working as an editorial assistant at Harper Collins and what convinced her to pursue a career as an actress, saying, “When I was an editorial assistant for science fiction and fantasy that really is cool. That’s fun, and it’s creative. You get to read about princesses and goblins from nine to five every day, but that was my big realization: then why am I still not happy? That definitely made me realize I should be doing something else.”